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Kyrie Irving Reminding NBA How Crucial He Is to Cavaliers’ Title Defense

CLEVELAND — As the Cleveland Cavaliers stared their nightmare scenario square in the eyes, temporarily losing their best player to foul trouble and having fallen into a first-half double-digit hole, Kyrie Irvingsaved the day. Paced by a 21-point third quarter and a playoff career-high 42 points overall, Irving gave the Cavs a 112-99 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, putting his team up 3-1 in the series.

Behind Irving’s big showing, Cleveland can return to Boston with a different mindset. Instead of being forced to play at least six games against the Celtics while the Golden State Warriors rested, the Cavaliers are now just one win away from a third straight trip to the NBA Finals.